


Bound to Be Moving On

by cgb



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-04-07
Updated: 2002-04-07
Packaged: 2019-06-19 08:11:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15506058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cgb/pseuds/cgb
Summary: "You'll never be one of them and they'll never really like you."





	Bound to Be Moving On

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Glass Onion](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Glass_Onion), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Glass Onion’s collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/glassonion/profile).

Bound To Be Moving On

Title: Bound To Be Moving On  
Author: CGB  
Category: f/f CJ/ Mandy  
Disclaimer: Aaron Sorkin is my illegitimate love-child. True.  
Archive: Sure  
Summary: "You'll never be one of them and they'll never really like you."

* * *

At the hotel, CJ is barefoot and blue jeaned with her legs swinging over the edge of the balcony. They are less than a block from campaign HQ and they've been in and out of this hotel since last year. She's smoking and she doesn't smoke so Mandy assumes she's stolen one from Toby who has the room next door.

At this stage of the game the hotels have all blurred into one another so maybe it's just her inadequate recollection that leads her to believe that CJ always takes the room next to Toby's. And maybe there's nothing in that.

"Who'd have fucking believed it?" Mandy says.

CJ looks up. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah. The... ah...door was open..."

CJ drags on her cigarette and turns her attention back to the night scape. "I still don't believe it."

Mandy sinks down next to CJ and crosses her legs, leaning her elbows on her knees.

"Some shit huh?"

CJ half nods, half shakes her head. "Yeah. Some shit..."

"So, you'll be working in the White House now?"

"They have to ask me first."

"But they will." Of course they will.

"Yeah."

Mandy watches a taxi take a fare from outside the hotel lobby. They're all be in taxis tomorrow. The race is won and the battle is over and they'll all be packing up to go home in the morning. Next year some of them will meet again in Washington. And some of them won't.

Mandy pulls her own cigarette out of her pocket and lights it. She drags quickly, a habit developed from being constantly in a hurry. It's just the way she is.

"I'm taking a job in LA," she says, suddenly.

"I heard."

"It's not because of Josh."

"It's not?"

"CJ, it's not because of Josh."

"OK."

"You guys don't pay me enough."

It's true and CJ knows it. She laughs. "You could make a lot more."

"And the hours suck."

"You can do better."

"And you guys don't like me."

"What!?"

"You don't. It's like I'm screwing your fucking son."

CJ opens her mouth and closes it again. She shakes her head. "He's our boy..." she says finally, and Mandy isn't sure who she's saying it to.

"Hey." Toby appears on the balcony next door. "We're about to start the game." Josh has promised to rob them blind at cards before they leave.

"We'll be there in a second," CJ says. Toby nods and leaves.

Mandy watches him until he is out of sight. "Are you screwing him?"

She says it without thinking and immediately she knows it's wrong. She thinks about retracting but she really wants to know.

CJ just shakes her head slowly. "No. I did once. Not anymore."

"What happened?"

"He got married."

"He's not married now."

"We're not screwing now."

"Do you want to?"

"You offering?"

It's an offhand comment that causes time to flex out of proportion like a stretched rubber band, but it only takes a moment for it to spring back into place. The campaign was not unlike that and Mandy got sick of being bounced around.

"I always suspected I was screwing the wrong member of the team - is it too late to change my mind."

They smile at each other and their misplaced innuendo. CJ flicks ashes over the balcony and they both watch it fall.

A week before the election Mandy calls Brenda in LA.

"I need a job."

"You've got a job."

"Brenda, I'm working on a campaign. There's no need to campaign when the election is over.

"You going to lose?"

"Fuck Brenda, do you watch television? Do you read the newspapers? This is going to be a tight race. The only way I'd know if we were going to lose is if I had a crystal fucking ball, OK?"

"You don't wanna wait to see if he wins? You could get a job on staff."

"Not me, Brenda."

She never really knew what made her do it, why she made the call.

But she saw things from time to time. Little things. CJ crossing herself before the debate, Toby wiping a tear from his eyes when he thought no one was looking, Sam slamming a fist against the wall when Bartlet took a hit, and Josh, beautiful Josh, who couldn't sleep at night.

But she could. And there was something in that.

All that passion and conviction and integrity and their goddamned way with words. She's been with them for six months and it just doesn't fall on her like it falls on them. And it doesn't rub off no matter who she screws.

She wishes she had screwed CJ. She wishes she was screwing her right now instead of watching her stub her cigarette out in a pot plant. She wishes she could screw CJ like she screwed Josh because, like Josh, CJ is smart and sexy and swimming in an aura that says, "I get it!"

And Mandy's never got it. And now she never will.

CJ stands. "Well, better let Josh see our money."

"Yeah," Mandy says, and she follows CJ back inside.

From behind, Mandy appraises CJ's legs. She's got the longest legs Mandy's ever seen. Long legs, small tits and a slight curve to her hips. She really should have screwed her.

"CJ?" Mandy says, and CJ turns around.

And then Mandy is shoving her up against a wall and kissing her.

CJ is too shocked to react. She hits the wall like a rag doll, almost folding but held up by Mandy who is pressing against her.

Mandy pries her mouth open with her tongue and finds to her surprise that CJ doesn't resist. And then it's only moments before she feels CJ's hand in her hair and CJ's tongue applying a gentle pressure to her own.

Mandy pushes her hips into CJ and raises a hand to her breast. She is gratified to find CJ's nipple hardening beneath her hand. CJ moans into Mandy's mouth.

And then Mandy pulls away suddenly. CJ remains leaning against the wall with her eyes shut and licks her lips. She sighs.

"Ahm," she says, and then she opens her eyes.

Mandy smiles and puts her hands on her hips. She cocks her head to one side.

"Just something to remember me by," she says.

* * *

They shake the incident off and make it to the game. Mandy's mood is elevated and she throws her arms up in the air as she enters the room.

"Gentlemen, prepare to meet your doom!"

Josh laughs and Sam raises an eyebrow.

"Sit down," Toby says without changing expression.

Mandy sits and casts an eye around the room. CJ wipes the back of her hand across her forehead. She hasn't said a word since they left her room.

Toby deals Mandy's cards and she lifts them off the table. She catches Josh's eye and licks her lips suggestively. He chokes on his beer.

So you're not brilliant like they are, she thinks. You'll never be one of them and they'll never really like you. But you can screw them - if you want to.

"Mandy?" Toby is waiting for her to throw out her cards.

And you can beat their asses at Poker.

She throws a card on the table.

"Hit me, " she says.

End.

* * *

Acknowledgements: Directly inspired by Teanna's "Whatever Happened to Baby Mandy" - you should check it out.

"If the Good times are all gone, then I'm bound to be moving on, I'll look for you if you're ever back this way," - Ian Tyson (sung by Neil Young on the "Comes a Time" album )

* * *


End file.
